Effects of soft beam energy on the microstructure of Pb37Sn, Au20Sn, and Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu solder joints in lensed-SM-fiber to laser-diode-affixing application

This paper reports on the effectiveness of soft beam energy as a heat source to form an optimum solder joint to fix a lensed fiber permanently on a Ni/Au-plated substrate. Solders, i.e., Pb37Sn, Au20Sn, and Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu (SAC) [wt%] were evaluated for this fluxless application. The microstructures of the solder joints have been examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in order to understand the response of these solder materials to the focussed white light. Obviously, the exposure time has a greater effect on the soldering temperature before reaching the peak temperature, which is determined by the power. A power setting of 40 W can reach approximately 340 °C, 30 W can reach about 310 °C while 25 W can easily reach 260 °C. In general, a higher soldering temperature than the melting temperature is required to form good wetting solder joints for fluxless applications. However, too high an input thermal energy may result in premature aging for the cases of Pb37Sn and SAC, and lateral cracks for the case of Au20Sn. The thermal cracks and voids observed in Au20Sn solder joint were attributed to the fact that the soft beam heating profile does not suit the AuSn preform. Out of these three solder types, SAC demonstrated just the right response to the soft beam, i.e., good wetting, fine and homogeneous structure, and no cracks or other visible failures.